Hi everyone, I am frustratingly confused, and want to make sure I have not missed any required maintenance with my 2007 prius. When I check my old Toyota service records, I see "Coolant System Service ($160)" and a different day, "Hybrid transmission fluid service ($110)." Did I miss one? The OP says

3. transaxle fluid
there is no way to "flush" the trans on a prius. if someone tries to sell you this, run. they can drain and fill, however. the fluid is expensive and is supposed to go 100k, but you can never go wrong changing it early. in most cases it isn't necessary. this is the same fluid that goes into a tundra for 100k under towing conditions. the only complication you might see is again due to tech error- using the wrong fluid or not filling all the way.

4. engine and inverter fluid
drain/fill is OK, but NO flushes. it's not even possible on the inverter and the engine is difficult but not impossible, however NOT recommended as it can cause serious damage to the electric water pump and switching valves. you do not need the drain/fill until your car hits 100k. if the coolant is still nice and pink, don't do it then either. again, the coolant is said to go 100k. while you're not going to do any wrong by changing it early, again it is expensive like the trans fluid. possible complications include more tech error- bleeding these systems is a PITA and getting all the air out is hard. an incomplete fill, use of the wrong coolant, can damage your car.

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Are these three different services, or are there actually four services? Transaxle fluid, CVT fluid, engine coolant, inverter fluid?
Most of the videos I find on youtube are using this drain plug and fill:Prius Transmission Fluid Change (eCVT)

However, I stumbled across this one that looks quite different. Is it different because it is a different year range, or is it a totally different service?:2010 Toyota Prius - Transaxle Fluid Change

Thank you again to @Mendel Leisk and @dolj. I was successfully able to drain/fill the transaxle fluid today for the first time doing it myself instead of bringing it to Toyota. I have a gravel driveway, so I am not terribly comfortable jacking it up or driving it onto plastic ramps, so instead I drove it up onto a couple chunks of wood to give myself an extra couple inches of clearance. The hardest part was trying to torque wrench the fill plug at the very end, but I finally got it done. They were also both quite a bit tighter than I expected and both required the use of a breaker bar and some serious pull to crack them open.

Next question: I've watched the youtube videos and the DIY Inverter and ICE coolant seems quite a bit more complicated based on the bleeding. I believe the dealer charges around $160 for the inverter and ICE coolant service. As a true greenhorn, should I attempt this next or is the dealership labor cost worth it to avoid potentially damaging the inverter and pump?

The bleeding valves complicate things but with DIY at least you can take your time, which reduces the likelihood of driving off with lots of trapped air. I found the Lisle funnel to be very useful in filling the radiator; it allows for constant gravity pressure on the system and can be screwed on while the engine is running. Then use the stopper to save the leftover fluid.

Alright, watched some additional videos, read some searched threads here on priuschat. The following questions are specific to the inverter coolant drain and fill only, not the ICE coolant change. I am going to start with the inverter since that seems like the easier of the two jobs and go from there. My car is a 2007.

Other than hooking plastic tubing from the bleeder under the radiator cover back to the inverter coolant reservoir, and squeezing the black hoses a few times, do I need to do any maintenance mode, inspection mode, or manual jumping of the pump to assist in the bleeding process?

Does running the heater on high blast help bleed the air or is that only for the ICE coolant change?

Does the Lisle funnel help at all with this job, or only the ICE coolant change?

Alright, watched some additional videos, read some searched threads here on priuschat. The following questions are specific to the inverter coolant drain and fill only, not the ICE coolant change. I am going to start with the inverter since that seems like the easier of the two jobs and go from there. My car is a 2007.

Other than hooking plastic tubing from the bleeder under the radiator cover back to the inverter coolant reservoir, and squeezing the black hoses a few times, do I need to do any maintenance mode, inspection mode, or manual jumping of the pump to assist in the bleeding process?

Does running the heater on high blast help bleed the air or is that only for the ICE coolant change?

Does the Lisle funnel help at all with this job, or only the ICE coolant change?

Will 1 jug of the 50/50 SLCC suffice for the inverter only job?

Thank you!

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1. No
2. Not needed
3. Not needed
4. Yes, you probably need around 3 quarts or less.

Garrr, stopped by the dealership on my way home today to buy the SLLC coolant and the aluminum crush washer for the drain plug on the inverter. The guy at the counter could not find the part number for the aluminum crush washer and could only find the little cover for the bleeder valve. I asked if it was the same as the crush washer I used for the transaxle last weekend (90430-18008) and he looked it up but said there was no reference to inverter, only transaxle. Does anyone have the part number for the aluminum crush washer for the inverter coolant drain plug?

Alright, so far, so good, onto the next challenge. Couldn't have made it this far without all of the expertise here and folks taking time to share and answer my questions, so thank you again. I completed the transaxle drain and fill by myself followed by the inverter drain/fill/bleed. Next up: ICE/Radiator coolant drain and fill. I've searched the forums and watched a couple youtube videos, purchased this special funnel, so here are my remaining questions:

Will jacking up the front passenger side help with the drain and fill or not worth the effort?

At what point do I connect, fill, plug up/unplug up the "Lisle" style funnel to minimize air being introduced? In other words, do I have it full and "open" when I open the drain or keep it full/plugged until the drain is complete and closed back up?

Do I need to unplug the electrical connector near the heat storage tank drain or will I be OK if I just pull the fuse thing that I eventually manually jump at the end of the process to cycle the pump?

If empty, should the radiator overflow canister be filled to the L level after the drain and refill?

Will jacking up the front passenger side help with the drain and fill or not worth the effort?

At what point do I connect, fill, plug up/unplug up the "Lisle" style funnel to minimize air being introduced? In other words, do I have it full and "open" when I open the drain or keep it full/plugged until the drain is complete and closed back up?

Do I need to unplug the electrical connector near the heat storage tank drain or will I be OK if I just pull the fuse thing that I eventually manually jump at the end of the process to cycle the pump?

If empty, should the radiator overflow canister be filled to the L level after the drain and refill?

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1. Not worth the effort, the Lisle funnel is all you need.
2. Keep the radiator cap on as you drain the system, so that fluid in the overflow container will be sucked out via vacuum. Once you've drained the system, it is full of air since the coolant is gone. Then put on the funnel and start filling up the radiator.
Are you going to drain the system via the drain at the coolant heat recovery canister? That is the single best way to drain the system.
3. You don't need to disconnect the connector. Just make sure the car is IG-OFF before you begin draining.
4. You want the overflow container to be empty after you've drained the system, and it should be at the F mark after you are done.

1. Not worth the effort, the Lisle funnel is all you need.
2. Keep the radiator cap on as you drain the system, so that fluid in the overflow container will be sucked out via vacuum. Once you've drained the system, it is full of air since the coolant is gone. Then put on the funnel and start filling up the radiator.
Are you going to drain the system via the drain at the coolant heat recovery canister? That is the single best way to drain the system.
3. You don't need to disconnect the connector. Just make sure the car is IG-OFF before you begin draining.
4. You want the overflow container to be empty after you've drained the system, and it should be at the F mark after you are done.

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Thank you and yes, I am going to drain from the coolant heat recovery canister only. I learned that that is the most efficient method from your step by step guide in post 42 here. Also planning to use your paper clip trick!

another public service announcement from your friendly tech and translator

just a list of commonly recommended services, whether they're needed and if so, when, and other useful info.

1. brake flush
may be a good idea after 100k miles/10 years. completely cleaning out the whole system is near impossible with standard brake flush equipment (mainly because the prius has almost 1 gal of brake fluid in it!) possible complications include air in brake system, damage to actuator or solenoid valves. (PS to those of you worried about rusting... the calipers are aluminum body construction with a composite plastic piston.)

2. clean/adjust rear brakes
only if you have drums (obviously in the prius, we do). ideally, for optimal brake life and performance, this is probably a good idea every 30k miles. for other cars, 15k a better idea. when you hear a tone out of the rear brakes, it's either time to change the brakes or have them cleaned/adjusted. if it's not done, you can see an increased brake wear rate (front and rear). possible complications are problems due to technician error- adjustment extremely tight can overheat a bearing. otherwise noise, brake chatter, or increased wear rate and glazing if not properly adjusted.

3. transaxle fluid
there is no way to "flush" the trans on a prius. if someone tries to sell you this, run. they can drain and fill, however. the fluid is expensive and is supposed to go 100k, but you can never go wrong changing it early. in most cases it isn't necessary. this is the same fluid that goes into a tundra for 100k under towing conditions. the only complication you might see is again due to tech error- using the wrong fluid or not filling all the way.

4. engine and inverter fluid
drain/fill is OK, but NO flushes. it's not even possible on the inverter and the engine is difficult but not impossible, however NOT recommended as it can cause serious damage to the electric water pump and switching valves. you do not need the drain/fill until your car hits 100k. if the coolant is still nice and pink, don't do it then either. again, the coolant is said to go 100k. while you're not going to do any wrong by changing it early, again it is expensive like the trans fluid. possible complications include more tech error- bleeding these systems is a PITA and getting all the air out is hard. an incomplete fill, use of the wrong coolant, can damage your car.

5. EFI or fuel injector cleaning
really not necessary until you see 100k, if you have a bad tank of gas, or if you start seeing misfires (and you'll see a check engine light when that happens.) possible problems include damage to fuel lines or connectors while disconnecting/reconnecting the adapter equipment to the system. the fuel line that you would access to hook up the adapter is directly above the exhaust manifold... NOT a place you want a leak. other possible problems could include seal failures due to pressure (rare but possible.) since it doesn't idle, most techs will get in and stomp on the gas pedal until the EFI cleaner runs its course. this leads to a condition called "blinky check engine light" which means that you have overheated your catalyst and are in serious danger of melting the insides of your catalytic converter.

6. three-part service, fuel induction service, throttle plate cleaning
these are all different names for essentially the same service. (the "three part" also includes a top engine cleaner aka fuel induction service and fuel additive.) this is really only needed if the throttle plate starts to stick. a good idea after 100k, but just the throttle plate cleaning. there is no accessible port to feed the top engine cleaner through, and fuel system additives are not recommended with the bladder fuel tank. possible complications from doing various parts of the service: fuel tank additive can possibly damage the fuel system- unlikely but still possible. biggest issue with this is deposits on the spark plugs, causing reduced power and fuel economy. for the throttle plate cleaning, using too much of the cleaner can cause the car to run funny for a few minutes but that's about it.

7. PCV valve replacement
a good idea at a 60k interval just to be on the safe side. if this fails, it will either stick closed (rare) and blow oil seals, or stick open and allow oil to enter the intake. most people forget this valve because it's hidden. but it's a simple replacement and damn hard to screw up.

8. alignment
depends on your driving style. aggressive drivers should have it checked every 10k. otherwise every 15-20k just to make sure it's right. a MUST when replacing tires and if you notice uneven tire wear.

*if you have a question about something that's not listed here, please do ask.

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Can I go to my local mechanic to service my Prius 2007?. What does a Toyota dealership service department does for your regular maintenance then if you go to your local mechanic for your regular maintenance?.

RE: 2007 ICE Coolant Drain & Fill that I will finally be getting to tomorrow weather dependant. When I jump the CHS WS relay socket during the bleeding stage, do I have the multi-meter set correctly in the attached photo, or should it be pointed towards DCA 20m? I've never used a multi meter before, and this one is slightly different looking than the one in @jreed's awesome video.

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